EDGE.

many might learn. For in proportion as he is believers is the largess of God's goodness, that this more capable of learning, he is the more fitted grace is given even to infants, although there is no for teaching others. The enemy of grace presses | obedience at that age to which it may be given. on and urges in all ways to make us believe that To whomsoever, therefore, God gives His gifts, grace is given according to our deservings, and beyond a doubt He has foreknown that He will thus grace is no more grace; and are we unwill- bestow them on them, and in His foreknowledge ing to say what we can say by the testimony of He has prepared them for them. Therefore, those Scripture? Do we fear, forsooth, to offend by whom He predestinated, them He also called our speaking him who is not able to receive the with that calling which I am not reluctant often truth? and are we not afraid lest by our silence to make mention of, of which it is said, "The he who can receive the truth may be involved gifts and calling of God are without repentance." 2 in falsehood? For the ordering of His future works in His foreknowledge, which cannot be deceived and CHAP. 41. -PREDESTINATION DEFINED AS ONLY changed, is absolute, and is nothing but, preGOD'S DISPOSING OF EVENTS IN HIS FOREKNOWL-destination. But, as he whom God has foreknown to be chaste, although he may regard it For either predestination must be preached, in as uncertain, so acts as to be chaste, so he whom the way and degree in which the Holy Scripture He has predestinated to be chaste, although he plainly declares it, so that in the predestinated may regard that as uncertain, does not, therethe gifts and calling of God may be without fore, fail to act so as to be chaste because he repentance; or it must be avowed that God's hears that he is to be what he will be by the gift grace is given according to our merits, which of God. Nay, rather, his love rejoices, and he is the opinion of the Pelagians; although that is not puffed up as if he had not received it. opinion of theirs, as I have often said already, Not only, therefore, is he not hindered from may be read in the Proceedings of the Eastern this work by the preaching of predestination, bishops to have been condemned by the lips but he is even assisted to it, so that although he of Pelagius himself. Further, those on whose glories he may glory in the Lord. account I am discoursing are only removed from the heretical perversity of the Pelagians, inasmuch as, although they will not confess that they who by God's grace are made obedient and so abide, are predestinated, they still confess, nevertheless, that this grace precedes their will to whom it is given; in such a way certainly as that grace may not be thought to be given freely, as the truth declares, but rather according to the merits of a preceding will, as the Pelagian error says, in contradiction to the truth. Therefore, also, grace precedes faith; otherwise, if faith precedes grace, beyond a doubt will also precedes it, because there cannot be faith without will. But if grace precedes faith because it precedes will, certainly it precedes all obedience; it also precedes love, by which alone God is truly and pleasantly obeyed. And all these things grace works in him to whom it is given, and in whom it precedes all these things. [xvII.] Among these benefits there remains perseverance unto the end, which is daily asked for in vain from the Lord, if the Lord by His grace does not effect it in him whose prayers He hears. See now how foreign it is from the truth to deny that perseverance even to the end of this life is the gift of God; since He Himself puts an end to this life when He wills, and if He puts an end before a fall that is threatening, He makes the man to persevere even unto the end, But more marvellous and more manifest to

CHAP. 42.

-THE ADVERSARIES CANNOT DENY PREDESTINATION TO THOSE GIFTS OF GRACE WHICH THEY THEMSELVES ACKNOWLEDGE, AND THEIR EXHORTATIONS ARE NOT HINDERED BY THIS PREDESTINATION NEVERTHELESS.

And what I said of chastity, can be said also of faith, of piety, of love, of perseverance, and, not to enumerate single virtues, it may be said with the utmost truthfulness of all the obedience with which God is obeyed. But those who place only the beginning of faith and perseverance to the end in such wise in our power as not to regard them as God's gifts, nor to think that God works on our thoughts and wills so as that we may have and retain them, grant, nevertheless, that He gives other things, since they are obtained from Him by the faith of the believer. Why are they not afraid that exhortation to these other things, and the preaching of these other things, should be hindered by the definition of predestination? Or, perchance, do they say that such things are not predestinated? Then they are not given by God, or He has not known that He would give them. Because, if they are both given, and He foreknew that He would give them, certainly He predestinated them. As, therefore, they themselves also exhort to chastity, charity, piety, and other things which they confess to be God's gifts, and cannot deny that they are also foreknown by Him, and

2 Rom. xi. 24.

therefore predestinated; nor do they say that well what should be given as to whom they their exhortations are hindered by the preaching should be given; and that thus those whom He of God's predestination, that is, by the preach- delivers and crowns are predestinated by Him; ing of God's foreknowledge of those future gifts they think it well to reply, "that the assertion of His so they may see that neither are their of predestination is opposed to the advantage of exhortations to faith or to perseverance hindered, preaching, for the reason that when this is heard even although those very things may be said, as no one can be stirred up by the incentives of is the truth, to be gifts of God, and that those rebuke." When they say this, "they are unthings are foreknown, that is, predestinated to willing that it should be declared to men, that be given; but let them rather see that by this coming to the faith and abiding in the faith are preaching of predestination only that most per- God's gifts, lest despair rather than encouragenicious error is hindered and overthrown, where- ment should appear to be suggested, inasmuch by it is said that the grace of God is given as they who hear think that it is uncertain to according to our deservings, so that he who human ignorance on whom God bestows, or on glories may glory not in the Lord, but in him- whom He does not bestow, these gifts." Why, self. then, do they themselves also preach with us that wisdom and continency are God's gifts? But if, when these things are declared to be God's gifts, there is no hindrance of the exhortation with which we exhort men to be wise and continent; what is after all the reason for their thinking that the exhortation is hindered wherewith we exhort men to come to the faith, and to abide in it to the end, if these also are said to be God's gifts, as is proved by the Scriptures, which are His witnesses?

CHAP. 43.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE
FOREGOING ARGUMENT.

2

And in order that I may more openly unfold this for the sake of those who are somewhat slow of apprehension, let those who are endowed with an intelligence that flies in advance bear with my delay. The Apostle James says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” ' It is written also in the Proverbs of Solomon, "Because the Lord giveth wisdom." And of continency it is read in the book of Wisdom, whose authority has been used by great and learned men who have commented upon the divine utterances long before us; there, therefore, it is read, "When I knew that no one can be continent unless God gives it, and that this was of wisdom, to know whose gift this was." 3 Therefore these are God's gifts, that is, to say nothing of others, wisdom and continency. Let those also acquiesce for they are not Pelagians, to contend against such a manifest truth as this with hard and heretical perversity. "But," say they, "that these things are given to us of God is obtained by faith, which has its beginning from us ;" and both to begin to have this faith, and to abide in it even to the end, they contend is our own doing, as if we received it not from the Lord. This, beyond a doubt, is in contradiction to the apostle when he says, "For what hast thou that thou hast not received?"4 It is in contradiction also to the saying of the martyr Cyprian, "That we must boast in nothing, since nothing is our own." 5 When we have said this, and many other things which it is wearisome to repeat, and have shown that both the commencement of faith and perseverance to the end are gifts of God; and that it is impossible that God should not foreknow any of His future gifts, as

Now, to say nothing more of continency, and to argue in this place of wisdom alone, certainly the Apostle James above mentioned says, "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, inestimable, without simulation." 116 Do you not see, I beseech you, how this wisdom descends from the Father of Lights, laden with many and great benefits? Because, as the same apostle says, "Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights."6 Why, then - to set aside other matters do we rebuke the impure and contentious, to whom we nevertheless preach that the gift of God is wisdom, pure and peaceable; and are not afraid that they should be influenced, by the uncertainty of the divine will, to find in this preaching more of despair than of exhortation; and that they should not be stirred up by the incentives of rebuke rather against us than against themselves, because we rebuke them for not having those things which we ourselves say are not produced by human will, but are given by the divine liberality? Finally, why did the preaching of this grace not deter the Apostle James from rebuking restless souls, and saying, "If ye have bitter envying, and contentions are in your hearts, glory not, and be not liars against the truth. This is not

6 Jas. iii. 17.

FAILS BY HIS OWN FAULT.

the wisdom that cometh down from above, but tainly they show plainly enough that exhortations is earthly, animal, devilish; for where envying are not hindered by that preaching, whether they and contention are, there are inconstancy and are exhortations to faith or to perseverance to every evil work"? As, therefore, the restless the end, because we also preach that such things are to be rebuked, both by the testimony of the are God's gifts, and are not given by any man to divine declarations, and by those very impulses himself, but are given by God. of ours which they have in common with ourselves; and is it no argument against this rebuke CHAP. 46. —A MAN WHO DOES NOT PERSEVERE that we declare the peaceful wisdom, whereby the contentions are corrected and healed, to be But it is said, "It is by his own fault that any the gift of God; unbelievers are in such wise to one deserts the faith, when he yields and conbe rebuked, as those who do not abide in the sents to the temptation which is the cause of his faith, without any hindrance to that rebuke from desertion of the faith." Who denies it? But the preaching of God's grace, although that because of this, perseverance in the faith is not preaching commends that very grace and the to be said not to be a gift of God. For it is this continuance in it as the gifts of God. Because, that a man daily asks for when he says, "Lead although wisdom is obtained from faith, even as us not into temptation; "4 and if he is heard, it James himself, when he had said, " If any of you is this that he receives. And thus as he daily lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to asks for perseverance, he assuredly places the all liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be hope of his perseverance not in himself, but in given," immediately added, " But let him ask God. I, however, am loth to exaggerate the in faith, nothing wavering: "it is not, neverthe- case with my words, but I rather leave it to them less, because faith is given before it is asked for to consider, and see what it is of which they by him to whom it is given, that it must therefore have persuaded themselves—to wit, "that by be said not to be the gift of God, but to be of the preaching of predestination, more of despair ourselves, because it is given to us without our than of exhortation is impressed upon the asking for it! For the apostle very plainly says, hearers." For this is to say that a man then "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, despairs of his salvation when he has learned to from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."3 place his hope not in himself, but in God, alFrom whom, therefore, are peace and love, from though the prophet cries, "Cursed is he who has Him also is faith; wherefore, from Him we ask his hope in man.” 5 not only that it may be increased to those that possess it, but also that it may be given to those that possess it not.

CHAP. 45.

EXHORTATION TO OTHER GIFTS OF
GOD IN LIKE MANNER.

CHAP. 47.

PREDESTINATION IS SOMETIMES SIGNIFIED UNDER THE NAME OF FOREKNOWLEDGE.

These gifts, therefore, of God, which are given to the elect who are called according to God's purpose, among which gifts is both the beginNor do those on whose account I am saying ning of belief and perseverance in the faith to these things, who cry out that exhortation is the termination of this life, as I have proved by checked by the preaching of predestination and such a concurrent testimony of reasons and grace, exhort to those gifts alone which they con- authorities, these gifts of God, I say, if there tend are not given by God, but are from our- is no such predestination as "I am maintaining, selves, such as are the beginning of faith, and are not foreknown by God. But they are foreperseverance in it even to the end. This cer- known. This, therefore, is the predestination tainly they ought to do, in such a way as only which I maintain. [xvin.] Consequently someto exhort unbelievers to believe, and believers to times the same predestination is signified also continue to believe. But those things which under the name of foreknowledge; as says the with us they do not deny to be God's gifts, so apostle, " God has not rejected His people whom as that with us they demolish the error of the He foreknew." Here, when he says, "He Pelagians, such as modesty, continence, patience, foreknew," the sense is not rightly understood and other virtues that pertain to a holy life, and except as "He predestinated," as is shown by are obtained by faith from the Lord, they ought the context of the passage itself. For he was to show as needing to be prayed for, and to pray speaking of the remnant of the Jews which were for only, either for themselves or others; but saved, while the rest perished. For above he they ought not to exhort any one to strive after had said that the prophet had declared to Israel, them and retain them. But when they exhort "All day long I have stretched forth my hands to these things, according to their ability, and to an unbelieving and a gainsaying people."' confess that men ought to be exhorted, cer- And as if it were answered, What, then, has be 5 Jer. xvii. 5.

4 Matt. vi. 13.
7 Rom. x. 21 et seq.

1 Jas. ii. 14.

2 Jas. i. 5.

3 Eph. vi. 23.

6 Rom. xi. a.

Wherefore, the above-mentioned most excellent commentators on the divine declarations both preached the true grace of God as it ought to be preached, — that is, as a grace preceded by no human deservings, and urgently exhorted to the doing of the divine commandWhat, then, hinders us, when we read of ments, that they who might have the gift of obeGod's foreknowledge in some commentators on dience should hear what commands they ought God's word, and they are treating of the calling to obey. For if any merits of ours precede of the elect, from understanding the same pre- grace, certainly it is the merit of some deed, destination? For they would perchance have or word, or thought, wherein also is understood rather used in this matter this word which, a good will itself. But he very briefly summed moreover, is better understood, and which is not up the kinds of all deservings who said, "We inconsistent with, nay, is in accordance with, the must glory in nothing, because nothing is our truth which is declared concerning the predesti- own." And he who says, "Our heart and our

besought to allow a voice to be given to you by which you may confess what you believe. "For He will give, I am certain. He who gave what is first, will give also what is second."5 He who gave belief, will also give confession.

CHAP. 50.

OBEDIENCE NOT DISCOURAGED BY PREACHING GOD'S GIFTS.

-

-

thoughts are not in our own power," did not pass over acts and words also, for there is no act or word of man which does not proceed from the heart and the thought. But what more could that most glorious martyr and most luminous doctor Cyprian say concerning this matter, than when he impressed upon us that it behoves us to pray, in the Lord's Prayer, even for the adversaries of the Christian faith, showing what he Such doctors, and so great as these, when they thought of the beginning of the faith, that it say that there is nothing of which we may boast also is God's gift, and pointing out that the as if of our own which God has not given us, Church of Christ prays daily for perseverance and that our very heart and our thoughts are not unto the end, because none but God gives that in our own power; and when they give the perseverance to those who have persevered? whole to God, and confess that from Him we reMoreover, the blessed Ambrose, when he was ceive that we are converted to Him in such wise expounding the passage where the Evangelist as to continue, that that which is good ap Luke says, "It seemed good to me also," says, pears also to us to be good, and we wish for it, "What he declares to have seemed good to him- that we honour God and receive Christ, self cannot have seemed good to him alone. For that from undevout people we are made devout not alone by human will did it seem good, but and religious, that we believe in the Trinity as it pleased Him who speaks in me, Christ, itself, and also confess with our voice what we who effects that that which is good may also believe: · -- certainly attribute all these things to seem good to us: for whom He has mercy on God's grace, acknowledge them as God's gifts, He also calls. And therefore he who follows and testify that they come to us from Him, and Christ may answer, when he is asked why he are not from ourselves. But will any one say wished to become a Christian, It seemed good that they in such wise confessed that grace of to me also.' And when he says this, he does God as to venture to deny His foreknowledge, not deny that it seemed good to God; for the which not only learned but unlearned men also will of men is prepared by God. For it is confess? Again, if they had so known that God God's grace that God should be honoured by the gives these things that they were not ignorant saint." 2 Moreover, in the same work, that that He foreknew that He would give them, and is, in the exposition of the same Gospel, when could not have been ignorant to whom He would he had come to that place where the Samaritans give them: beyond a doubt they had known would not receive the Lord when His face was the predestination which, as preached by the as going to Jerusalem, he says, "Learn at the apostles, we laboriously and diligently maintain same time that He would not be received by against the modern heretics. Nor would it be those who were not converted in simpleness of with any manner of justice said, nevertheless, to mind. For if He had been willing, He would them because they preach obedience, and ferhave made them devout who were undevout. vently exhort, to the extent of the ability of And why they would not receive Him, the evan- each one, to its practice, "If you do not wish gelist himself mentioned, saying, 'Because His that the obedience to which you are stirring us face was as of one going towards Jerusalem.' 3 up should grow cold in our heart, forbear to But the disciples earnestly desired to be received preach to us that grace of God by which you into Samaria. But God calls those whom He confess that God gives what you are exhorting makes worthy, and makes religious whom He us to do." will." What more evident, what more manifest do we ask from commentators on God's word, if we are pleased to hear from them what is clear in the Scriptures? But to these two, who ought to be enough, let us add also a third, the holy Gregory, who testifies that it is the gift of God both to believe in God and to confess what we believe, saying, "I beg of you confess the Trinity of one godhead; but if ye wish otherwise, say that it is of one nature, and God will be besought that a voice shall be given to you by the Holy Spirit;" that is, God will be

MUST CHAP. 51 [xx.] - PREDESTINATION

PREACHED.

BE

Wherefore, if both the apostles and the teachers of the Church who succeeded them and imitated them did both these things, that is, both truly preached the grace of God which is not given according to our merits, and inculcated by wholesome precepts a pious obedience, — what is it which these people of our time think themselves rightly bound by the invincible force of truth to say, Even if what is said of the predestination of God's benefits be true, yet it

5 Greg. of Nazianz. Orat. 44 in Pentecosten.